The Atlanta Braves continue to blow up their major league roster as the front office gears towards a total rebuild. Atlanta has traded center fielder Cameron Maybin to the Detroit Tigers for left-handed pitchers Ian Krol and Gabe Speier.
Maybin joins a list of Braves starters to have been traded this offseason, a list that is expected to grow even longer as the offseason goes on. In exchange for the 28-year-old outfielder coming off a career year, the Braves receive two left-handed pitchers who they hope have something to work with.
Krol is intriguing just because any time you can find a workable lefty out of the bullpen, it's a nice little boost to have. But through 88 innings over the past three season, Krol has registered just a 4.91 ERA with a 1.58 WHIP. He allowed a .326/.442/.442 triple-slash line versus lefties last season, a rapid decline from 2014 when he allowed a .261/.329/.435 triple-slash line in 2014. Atlanta will hope he can be a reclamation project and they can turn him into a reliable lefty coming out of their bullpen.
Speier was not rated among the Tigers' top-30 prospects by MLB.com this season. The 20-year-old southpaw was tested out briefly as a reliever in two years at the rookie-ball level, but all 33 of his appearances this season in A-ball came out of the bullpen. Over 44 innings, Speier had a 2.86 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP and 36/12 K/BB ratio.
This is a very nice trade for the Tigers, especially if Maybin stays true to his numbers last year. Maybin hit 10 home runs with 23 stolen bases last season, though his .267/.327/.370 triple-slash line is less than ideal. There's a cause for concern given his numbers post-All Star Break sat at a .240/.289/.311 triple-slash line with two home runs. Given that the deal didn't cost the Tigers any real pieces they loved for the long-term, they have to be happy to get an MLB outfielder.